Condiment dispener

ABSTRACT

A condiment dispenser is provided that includes a body having an internal space divided into compartments, and a plurality of condiment cartridges that can be inserted into the compartments of the condiment dispenser. Condiments can be dispensed by opening one or more nozzles and applying manual force to compress the body of the condiment dispenser to dispense a condiment from each open nozzle.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a U.S. National Stage Application of International Application No. PCT/IB2012/001158 filed Jun. 1, 2012, which claims priority from U.S. Patent Application No. 61/496,919 filed Jun. 14, 2011. The entirety of all the above-listed applications are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present technology relates to dispensers for condiments, and more specifically to refillable dispensers for storing and dispensing a plurality of condiments.

BACKGROUND

There are many types of foods on which people put condiments, including for example hamburgers, hot dogs, and other meat products served on buns. Normally, both in restaurant and domestic settings, such condiments tend to be stored and served in separate containers.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present technology relates to refillable dispensers for storing and dispensing a plurality of condiments.

In one aspect, a condiment dispenser is provided that includes a body having a plurality of segmented hollow internal compartment, a top connected to the body that is configured to dispense a plurality of condiments therethrough, and a bottom connected to the body. In at least one example, the condiment dispenser also includes a plurality of disposable condiment cartridges, where each disposable condiment cartridge is configured to be inserted into one of the segmented hollow internal compartments of the refillable compressible body.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Specific examples have been chosen for purposes of illustration and description, and are shown in the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the specification.

FIG. 1 illustrates one example of a condiment dispenser of the present technology.

FIG. 2 an exploded view of the condiment dispenser of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 illustrates a bottom perspective view of one example of a body for a condiment dispenser of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 illustrates a top perspective view of the body for a condiment dispenser of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 illustrates one example of a bottom for a condiment dispenser of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 illustrates one example of a dispensing nozzle for a condiment dispenser of FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 illustrates one example of a disposable condiment cartridge for a condiment dispenser of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Condiment dispensers of the present technology provide a single container that can dispense a plurality of condiments. The condiment dispensers dispense each condiment separately, and selectively dispense any one or more of the condiments. One example of a condiment dispenser of the present technology is illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 7. In accordance with the illustrated example, a refillable compressible bottle can be provided that has three segmented hollow compartments where disposable condiment cartridges can be inserted and removed. The top of the bottle can be composed of three independent color coded nozzles designed to squeeze condiments individually or simultaneously.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, condiment dispenser 100 includes a body 102, a top 104, a bottom 106, a plurality of dispensing nozzles 108, and a plurality of condiment cartridges 110 that are inserted into the body 102.

FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate one example of a body 102 for a condiment dispenser 100 of the present technology. The body 102 can be made of any suitable material, and is preferably a plastic material. The body can be formed in any suitable manner, such as by molding or extrusion. The body 102 is compressible, such that a force applied by a person squeezing the body 102 can be used to cause condiments stored within the body 102 to be dispensed from the condiment dispenser 100.

In the illustrated example, the body 102 includes a wall having an outer side 112 and an inner side 114 that defines a space. The space defined by the inner side 114 of the body 102 can be any suitable shape, and is illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4 as being cylindrical. The body 102 also includes a dividing wall 116 connected to internal wall 114, which divides the space into a plurality of segmented hollow internal compartments 118. In the illustrated example, the dividing wall 116 divides the space within the body 102 into three equally sized segmented hollow internal compartments 118.

The body 102 is refillable, in that each condiment cartridge 110 can be inserted into and removed from the body 102. In order to facilitate insertion and removal of condiment cartridges 110, at least one of the top 104 and the bottom 106 of the condiment dispenser 100 can be removably connected to the body 102. In the illustrated example, the bottom 104 is removably connected to the body 102 using a threaded connection, such that the bottom 106 screws onto the body 102. In this example, the inner side 114 of the body 102 comprises threads 120 to which the bottom 106 can be connected.

One example of a bottom 106 that can be used in a condiment dispenser 100 of the present technology is illustrated in FIG. 5. In the illustrated example, the bottom 106 includes a threaded upper connecting portion 122, which connects the bottom 106 to the body 102, and a lower portion 124. Preferably, the lower portion 124 includes a flat bottom 126, so that the condiment dispenser 100 can stand upright when placed on a generally horizontal surface, such as a table top. The bottom 106 can be made of any suitable material, and is preferably made of a plastic material, which can be the same or different from the material from which the body 102 is made.

In an alternative example, the top 104 can be removably connected to the body 102, such as by a threaded connection of the type shown in the illustrated example. However, in the illustrated example, the top 104 is formed integrally with the body 102. The top 104 can be made of any suitable material, and is preferably made of a plastic material. In the illustrated example, the top 104 is made of the same plastic material as the body 102. The top 104 top can include an opening into each of the internal compartments of the body. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the top 104 includes three circular openings 128.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 6, a plurality of dispensing nozzles 108 can be connected to the top 104 of the condiment dispenser 100. In the illustrated example, each one of three dispensing nozzles 108 includes a clip-on mechanism 130, which can be used to attach the dispensing nozzle 108 to the top 104 of the body 102. Each dispensing nozzle 108 can also include a twist function, which enables the dispensing nozzle 108 to open and close by moving up and down, respectively, while remaining attached to the body 102. Each dispensing nozzle 108 can include an opening 132 at its tip 134. The opening of each nozzle 132 can differ in diameter to accommodate dispensing condiments of various viscosities, so that given the same squeeze pressure the flow of condiments can be balanced. Each dispensing nozzle 108 can be made of any suitable material, and is preferably made of a plastic material, which can be the same or different from the material from which the body 102 is made.

As shown in FIG. 7, the condiment cartridges 110 that can be inserted into and removed from the condiment dispenser 100 can each include a storage section 136 and a dispensing tip 138. Each condiment cartridge 110 can be filled with a condiment, such as, for example, mustard, mayonnaise, ketchup, relish, barbeque sauce, or hot sauce. The condiment can be stored in the storage section 136, and can be dispensed out of the condiment cartridge 110 through the dispensing tip 138. Each condiment cartridge in configured to be slidably inserted into one of the internal compartments of the body 102 of the condiment dispenser 100, with the dispensing tip 138 protruding through an opening in the top 104 and into a nozzle 108. For example, when a condiment cartridge 110 is fully inserted into the body 102, the dispensing tip 138 can penetrate the inside of the nozzle 108 to a point where the storage section 136 of the condiment cartridge 110 contacts the top 104 of the body 102 and the dispensing tip 138 contacts tip of the nozzle 108. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, when the plurality of condiment cartridges 110 are inserted into their respective internal compartments, the bottom 106 can be connected to the body 102 to prevent the condiment cartridges 110 from falling out of the condiment dispenser 100.

In at least one example, the condiment cartridges 110 and the internal compartments 118 can be color coded, to facilitate identification and matching each condiment cartridge 110 with the internal compartment having the nozzle 108 configured to dispense a particular condiment. Accordingly, each internal compartment of the body 102 can have a different color, and each condiment cartridge 110 can have a color that corresponds to the color of the internal compartment 118 of the body 102 into which the condiment cartridge 110 is designed to be inserted. The nozzles 108 can also be color coded, to provide an indication to the user of the condiment that can be dispensed from each nozzle 108. In some examples, the color coding of the condiment cartridges 110, internal compartments 118, and nozzles 108 are coordinated. For example, a condiment cartridge 110 containing a condiment can have a selected color, which is a visual indicator of the condiment contained therein. The internal compartment 118 of the body 102 into which the condiment cartridge 110 is intended to be inserted can have the same selected color, and the nozzle 108 associated with the internal compartment 118 of the body 102 into which the condiment cartridge 110 is intended to be inserted can also have the same selected color. In some examples, the selected color to indicate ketchup can be red, the selected color to indicate mayonnaise can be white, the selected color to indicate mustard can be yellow, the selected color to indicate relish can be green, and the selected color to indicate barbeque sauce can be brown.

In practice, after condiment cartridges 110 containing condiments are inserted into the condiment dispenser 100, and the condiment dispenser 100 is assembled, squeeze pressure can be applied by manual force, and the pressure within the condiment dispenser can facilitate the flow of a condiment from any condiment cartridge 110 that has its nozzle 108 open. All of the nozzles 108 can be twisted open for a simultaneous squeeze of all the condiments contained within the condiment dispenser. Alternatively, a user can choose which nozzle 108 or combination thereof to open depending on their preference.

When a condiment cartridge 110 is depleted of its contents, the condiment therein having been used up, a user can open the bottom 104, remove the depleted condiment cartridge 110, and insert a new condiment cartridge 110. In this manner, the condiment dispenser 100 is refillable, and each condiment can be refilled at the pace at which that particular condiment is depleted.

In some examples, condiment cartridges 110 can be sold individually, or in packages of multiple condiment cartridges 110. Each condiment cartridge 110 can include any labeling required for distribution and sale, such as an ingredient list and nutritional information. In one example, condiment cartridges 110 can contain condiments made by various suppliers, which can be purchased separately and according to the personal consumption habits and tastes of a user. In such an example, after the initial purchase of the condiment dispenser 100, the user can avoid having to pay higher prices for the packaging associated with conventional condiment containers, and can instead pay lower prices for condiment cartridges 110, which use less packaging.

In some examples, the fact that the bottle is composed of a plurality of independent condiment cartridges 110 can allow a manufacturer to utilize their existing operational set up to fill and package the respective condiments into condiment cartridges 110 without the need for significant process alteration or costly and complex logistical solutions. In such examples, the various condiments can be filled in cartridges that are designed to meet the respective filling processing requirements, such as temperature, while using existing machines. Once a condiment cartridge 110 is filled, it can be sealed, packaged and labeled at the designated condiment facility. In some examples, filled condiment cartridges 110 can be shipped from their respective facilities to a central location where they can be combined into the condiment dispenser.

EXAMPLE

A body including a wall having an outer side and an inner side that defined cylindrical space, a dividing wall connected to internal wall that divided the cylindrical space into three equally sized segmented hollow internal compartments, and a top having a circular opening into each of the internal compartments, was made having the following specifications:

-   Diameter: 7.7 cm -   Height: 15.3 cm -   Diameter of top openings: 2.3 cm each -   Diameter of bottom opening: 5.7 -   Material: polypropylene

A screw-on bottom was made having that following specifications:

-   Diameter: 6.6 cm -   Height: 2.5 cm -   Material: plastic

Three cone shaped clip-on dispensing nozzles were made having the following specifications:

-   Base Diameter: 2.1 cm -   Tip Diameter: 0.8 cm -   Height: 2.9 cm -   Material: hard plastic

Three disposable condiment cartridges were made having the following specifications:

-   Total Height of cartridge: 18.4 cm -   Height of Dispensing Tip: 2.7 cm -   Diameter of opening at the top of Dispensing Tip: 0.6 cm -   Material: polypropylene

The shape of each disposable condiment cartridge was generally triangular with the largest angle being about 120 degrees, and the other two angles being about equal to each other. The side opposite the 120 degree angle (hypotenuse) was curved to form an arc equivalent to about one third of a circle. The edges of the two smaller angles were slightly curved and had a specific design so that once all three cartridges were placed adjacent to one another, they came together to form a cylindrical fit (all thirds of a circle combined).

Each of the disposable condiment cartridges was placed in one of the segmented hollow internal compartments of the body, with the dispensing tip of each disposable condiment cartridge extending through a circular opening in the top of the body. The screw-on bottom was then attached to the body, and a clip-on nozzle was attached to the dispensing tip of each disposable condiment cartridge.

From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that although specific examples have been described herein for purposes of illustration, various modifications may be made without deviating from the spirit or scope of this disclosure. It is therefore intended that the foregoing detailed description be regarded as illustrative rather than limiting, and that it be understood that it is the following claims, including all equivalents, that are intended to particularly point out and distinctly claim the claimed subject matter. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A condiment dispenser comprising: a body that includes a wall having an outer side and an inner side that defines a space, a dividing wall connected to internal wall that divides the space into a plurality of segmented hollow internal compartments, a top connected to the body, the top having an opening into each of the internal compartments; and a bottom connected to the body.
 2. The condiment dispenser of claim 1, wherein at least one of the top or the bottom is removably connected to the body.
 3. The condiment dispenser of claim 1, further comprising a condiment cartridge insertably received by an internal compartment of the body, the condiment cartridge comprising a storage section and a dispensing tip.
 4. The condiment dispenser of claim 3, wherein each condiment cartridge contains a condiment in the storage section of the condiment cartridge.
 5. The condiment dispenser of claim 3, wherein each condiment cartridge further comprises a removable cover attached to an inlet through which a condiment can be placed in the storage section of the condiment cartridge.
 6. The condiment dispenser of claim 3, further comprising a dispensing nozzle connected to the dispensing tip of the condiment cartridge.
 7. The condiment dispenser of claim 1, wherein each internal compartment comprises a different color.
 8. The condiment dispenser of claim 5, further comprising one condiment cartridge insertably received into each internal compartment of the body, wherein each condiment cartridge comprises a color that corresponds to the color of the internal compartment of the body into which the condiment cartridge is inserted.
 9. The condiment dispenser of claim 1, wherein the dividing wall connected to internal wall divides the space into three segmented hollow internal compartments. 